Andy Hollinger

I’m Not Here Right Now, Andy Hollinger’s debut CD, is a collection of pop-rock songs that recall an era when musicians could sing, write good songs with catchy guitar licks, and still manage to be interesting and unique. Hollinger walks the fine line of writing accessible songs without sounding like what’s happening on the radio. He is reminiscent of singer/songwriter/guitarists that have preceded him such as Warren Zevon, Neil Young, and Paul Weller. When he sings, he sounds honest and earnest, like the underdog in the big fight that has captured the hearts of the crowd. However, at times Hollinger’s style is a little hokey and unpolished. Then again, that just might be part of his appeal.
Like a friendly face in the crowd, Hollinger’s music feels almost instantly at home and comfortable in any situation. From the very beginning of the record, he draws people in with lines like “This is the story my grandmother told / Her fierce eyes glistened like the coastline’s rocky shoals.” It’s a great entrance into a song, and a good reason to sit through until the end, as the imagery conjures memories of nights of tales told by the fire.
While many of his songs have a refreshing depth to them, many of them are simply foot-stomping fun. In “It All Came Down to You, he sings “The first time I saw you, you had pigtails / You grew so fast. Now you’ve got pink toenails.” While pigtails and toenails are everyday things, most people can’t sing about them and make it work, yet Hollinger does. In “Like Some Wind-up Toy,” he sings about a relationship that is full of head games and confusion. While this is not a new song subject, his approach is musically lighthearted, yet lyrically witty and truthful. He sings, “Don’t be asking questions you don’t want the answer for / I can’t help myself, you put me on a shelf / I wanted so much more.”
Andy Hollinger may not seem particularly remarkable at first, but his voice is unique, his songs are catchy, and his arrangements are fun. It’s likely this record will soon cause a foot to start tapping along and a mouth to start humming his memorable melodies. (Lowbudget Records)
–Laura Brereton, Northeast Performer Magazine, Jan. 2006
- Northeast Performer--Jan. 2006

"Warren Zevon soundalike. That being said, there's some kind of audio charisma going on with Andy's work that I can't deny. The backing band(s) brings to mind this list to me: Crazy Horse, Don Henley, Grateful Dead, Creedence, Crosby Stills Nash & Young. Nice amounts of slide guitar in the arrangements, and Andy's Telecaster playing brings out a confidence and love for the sound of that '60s-'70s American rock vintage, a little countrified. You might have enjoyed Andy Hollinger at the 1969 Woodstock, if he had been alive and you had too....As a collective work, it's good and listenable. No craziness here, insane music fans, just a musician with two feet solidly on the ground. I'd like to hear Andy's follow up."

Mike Loce, The Noise, March 2005



- The Noise, March 2005

"With the same charm and keen eye on detail as the late, great Warren Zevon, singer-songwriter-guitarist Andy Hollinger delivers a great collection of jangling pop songs on his new album "I'm Not Here Right Now...". Sporting a charismatic lead voice and some well-played instrumentation, Hollinger covers all the bases on this disc.
From the country-tinged "Oh So Blue" with its fine slide guitar solo, to the Tele twang of "I Can't Take Too Much More," to the Pink Panther inspired "Hollow Day," and on to the perfected pop snarl of "One Simple Thing," Hollinger exhibits not only his prowess as a musician but his gifts as a songrwriter.
A roomful of talented musicians were also enlisted by Hollinger to add their specialized gifts. Folks like George Hicks, Ruby Bird, Henry Nigro, Dennis Roach, Karl Haakonsen, Mitch Nelin, Glenn Williams, Roger Christie, Nate Darden, Mark Dec, Budd Marvel, Steve O'Callaghan, Warren Senders, Tim Casey, Jamie Formato, and Bob McCloskey all inject their respective creative aptitudes to this well-produced and recorded CD."


- Doug Sloan, Metronome Magazine April 2005
(this album was chosen as one of Doug's "Top Five" for the month!)


- Metronome Magazine